They have released the “2011 CWE/SANS Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Errors” list, a list of the most widespread and critical errors that can lead to serious vulnerabilities in software. They are often easy to find, and easy to exploit. They are dangerous because they will frequently allow attackers to completely take over the software, steal data, or prevent the software from working at all.
The list is a must-read for all software developers, be it web developers, enterprise or whatever. Security is often neglected when developing software and this effort is a nice reminder that there are people out there trying to find holes and vulnerabilities in our software.
I am reposting the “Brief Listing of the Top 25” below for your quick reference:
- Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command (‘SQL Injection’)
- Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command (‘OS Command Injection’)
- Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input (‘Classic Buffer Overflow’)
- Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (‘Cross-site Scripting’)
- Missing Authentication for Critical Function
- Missing Authorization
- Use of Hard-coded Credentials
- Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data
- Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type
- Reliance on Untrusted Inputs in a Security Decision
- Execution with Unnecessary Privileges
- Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
- Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory (‘Path Traversal’)
- Download of Code Without Integrity Check
- Incorrect Authorization
- Inclusion of Functionality from Untrusted Control Sphere
- Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource
- Use of Potentially Dangerous Function
- Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm
- Incorrect Calculation of Buffer Size
- Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts
- URL Redirection to Untrusted Site (‘Open Redirect’)
- Uncontrolled Format String
- Integer Overflow or Wraparound
- Use of a One-Way Hash without a Salt
SQL Injection is the number one, no surprise there. There are also some other classic errors, like Buffer Overflow, Cross-site Scripting, Use of Hashes without Salt etc.
I hope that at least some errors will be prevented after reading this list. So, don’t forget to share!
